


Copper and Indigo

by Some_Cookie_Crumbz



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Soul Eater AU, Violence Warning will be added to relevant chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-06-20 20:03:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15541953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Some_Cookie_Crumbz/pseuds/Some_Cookie_Crumbz
Summary: Self-indulgent Soul Eater AU. A new generation of Meisters and Weapons are preparing to begin their studies at the renowned Death Weapon Meister Academy, where they will learn to protect innocent lives from the horrors of the Kishin. But there is more danger looming over the new class than simply Kishin battles. Will they be able to rise to the occasion and face down this new evil?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Small points of clarification before you read this chapter:  
> This series more follows the canon of the original Soul Eater manga, though there will be points that diverge from that canon as well, but the points where that occurs will be covered in later chapters.  
> While a chunk of the cast of the original Soul Eater series will appear in this, their roles will be very minimal and they will not be pivotal to any significant moments of development for the plot/ development of the main characters.  
> OCs of mine will occasionally be used to fill the slots of extra teachers/ students/ enemies but, again, will have very little significance to any of the important story beats.

Chapter One

 

The sun was just barely starting to dip behind the steep Nevada mountain range as they headed up the large steps towards where the festivities were being held. The sounds of the huge crowd starting to gather together inside had his skin crawling; he had never been fond of big crowds, due to his struggles with relating to others. Then again, he was going to have to get comfy with the idea of socializing to some extent. He scowled down at the little golden pin, shaped like a small soul, stuck into his favorite jacket like it belonged there.

The fact that is technically did, for the sake of identification purposes, was irrelevant to him.

“This is completely stupid,” He said bluntly.

The other young man beside him let out a slow sigh, having already heard this about five times in just the last ten minutes. “It’s a way for you to meet and interact with others in your class, as well as potentially find a Weapon partner, and you want to put your best foot forward. That said,” He trailed, pausing to chat amicably with the elderly woman running the check-in booth. He watched as his companion’s picture was taken and he was handed an official student ID.

He stared down at his own photo, staring back with just as much disinterest as he stared at it, though more glossy than his face. He then tilted his head up to look up at the other. “Yeah?”

“Couldn’t you have worn something a bit more… formal?” The other shifted and looked away as he spoke, smiling and waving at those he recognized.

He stared at him with a raised brow before his gaze shifted to a glare and was paired with a scowl. “… What are you trying to imply here, Shiro?”

“Nothing bad but… This is a really important event for you, Keith, and I just want to make sure you’re presenting yourself the way you think is best,” Shiro said, returning his attention for the other party-goers to look at the young man and meet his gaze.

“Of course I am. Whoever I get partnered up with is going to have to deal with me as I am. Why should I change the packaging when the product will be the same? What they see is what they’re going to get,” Keith scoffed a bit, rolling his eyes at the notion.

“That’s a fair way to look at it, I suppose,” Shiro said, plastering on a smile while his mind nagged at him about how this was dangerous. While he cared for Keith and knew he was a great guy once he grew comfortable with someone, he knew that being a Meister meant having a Weapon partner that he would have to trust at least a little right out the gate. Letting his walls down and making himself vulnerable to others was something that Keith had never been particularly skilled with, which meant the whole situation could only go one of two ways; either with Keith being unable to find and maintain a partnership, or with Keith actually learning to open up more and making a friend or two.

“Hm,” The indifferent response he got was less than a strong note to start on, but Shiro opted to be optimistic.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow, there’s a lot more Weapons this year than usual,” Shiro mumbled as he grabbed a small hors d'oeuvres plate and set two deviled eggs on the plate. He grabbed a second plate and offered it to Keith, continuing to move down along the line to see what other offerings he wanted to partake in.

“Hmm. Just means that you worrying about me not finding a partner is completely ridiculous,” Keith scoffed, grabbing a few deviled eggs for himself. He paused to stare at what seemed to be small mozzarella sticks before using the little tongs to toss a few on his plate as well. “There’ll probably be Weapons left without partners, judging by how many of them there are.” He glanced around at the crowd and, of the five people whose badges he could see, four of the five of them had the jet black pin that matched his own golden one. He made a face as he saw a few other appetizers that seemed a bit more for the posh crowd and tossed two more mozzarella sticks on to his plate.

“Not necessarily. I mean,” He said, pausing to plop a small slice of bread with some kind of fish and other things on his pale, then pausing to put one on Keith’s despite the miffled look that awarded him, “just because there are a lot of Weapons doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Some Meisters will partner up to form trios or quartets with multiple Weapons so that they have a wider range of capability on the battlefield. And that’s not even accounting for the Weapons with the ability to self-wield, either.” He picked the little fish-on-toast treat up and took a bite, humming lightly and indicating Keith with his as he chewed. He didn’t seem to notice how the other paled and gawked. “You should try this. It’s salmon on top with cream cheese. Pretty good.”

“Are you _fucking_ serious?”

“Yes, I am. Look, I know you can be a picky eater, but I also know you like salmon, so you’d probably-!”

“I’m not talking about the food! The Multiple-Weapon-Partners thing! Shouldn’t they, I don’t know, have to _wait_ until _all_ the Meisters have at least one partner before they get to go double-dipping?” He snapped with a frantic shake of his head.

Yet another sigh escaped Shiro as he grabbed a few more items for his own plate and distributed some more suggestions to Keith’s. “I think you’re missing the _significance and weight_ of picking a partner, Keith. It’s not about being fair or even; it’s about working well together and having compatible soul wavelengths. Part of that is getting along on a personal level to some extent. You should know that personal feelings play a huge part in a Meister’s ability to wield. If you try to partner off with someone you don’t get along with, which leads to incompatibility in regards to wielding and being wielded, there can be painful consequences.”

Keith could feel heat rising to the tips of his ears and he glared down at his plate. “Why can’t I just partner off with you? I mean, I already know how to fight! I’ve been able to wield you for a few practice matches to test my capabilities just fine! The only thing I’m really missing is some of the technical aspects and training for controlling and manipulating my soul wavelength,” He huffed.

The other flashed him a tired but affectionate smile. “You’re right that you’re very talented and skilled for a novice Meister, but there’s a lot more you need to learn before you’re really ready to work with a fully turned Death Scythe like me. That’s one of the reasons that I’ve been stressing to you how important it is to find a good partner today,” Shiro said, swiped a small side dish of macaroni and cheese for himself. He then turned back to the room and looked around, trying to spot a table. “For now, let’s get some food in us and then figure out a plan of attack for finding you a partner.”

“Whatever,” Keith grumbled as he followed him along, weaving through the throng of people to try and find an unoccupied table. Most of the tables they encountered were either crowded, or the seats were crowded with purses and other personal belongs to keep them safe.

Shiro took a deep breath, slowly released it, and then perked up. “Ah, there we go. There’s only one person at that table. Let’s see if we can settle in,” He said, indicating a round table off in the corner. The one person settled there seemed lost in whatever they were doing on their computer, fingers clacking away at the keys relentless. “Um, excuse me?”

“Mmhmm?” The other mused, not even looking up from what they were doing.

“Would you mind if we sat here?”

“Knock yourselves out,” They said, waving one hand indifferently at the extra chairs.

“Thank you,” Shiro said before calmly slipping into one of the seats. Keith followed after him and settled in, taking a bite of one of the mozzarella sticks before scanning the crowd, indigo eyes jumping from person to person in search of a Weapon pin. His gaze locked with someone’s for a brief second until, upon looking him up and down, they made a face and turned back to the crowd out on the gracious dance floor. He tried not to let the clear reject sting, but it did get him a bit. Maybe he should have taken Shiro’s advice and dressed in something a little less casual. “Now, I suppose the first question is what kind of personality you can get along with. We can figure out Weapon types from there.”

Keith scowled at him. “Wouldn’t determining what kind of Weapon I could wield best be our first priority? I mean, doesn’t this feed into your whole ‘compatible partners’ thing?” He asked, putting air quotes about the proper terminology.

“You’re a very quick study when it comes to battle; learning to fight will come pretty easy to you, regardless of what kind of Weapon your partner takes the form of. What we really need to focus on is someone with a personality that’ll match well with yours. It’ll have to be someone a bit more reserved than you, I think, with a bit more social grace to compliment your lack thereof,” He mused, popping the top on his little side container of macaroni and plopping a forkful into his mouth.

“Why are you making this so much harder than it has to be, Shiro?” Keith growled lowly, his leg starting to bounce in restless irritation.

The clacking at the computer suddenly came to a halt. “Wait, Shiro? As in Takashi Shirogane? The Primary-in-Training?” They asked, their tone seeming just the slightest bit uneasy.

Shiro blinked a bit in surprise. “Oh, yes, that would be me. Sorry, I realize that I should probably have introduced myself. I mean, that was part of why Lord Death wanted me in attendance tonight,” He laughed, shifting to offer his hand to them.

They only seemed to shrink down into the seat further.

“Ah, there you are, Shiro. We have been looking for you,” A calm voice chimed behind them, causing Shiro to perk up and drop his hand.

“Ah, Death Scythe Thompson, it’s good to see you,” He said, turning in his seat to smile at the older woman standing behind him.

The other hummed, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her bun behind one ear. “It’s good to see you, too, but it would have been nicer to have seen you nearly fifteen minutes ago. When you first got here,” She said, her tone remaining composed but a chiding undertone to it. “Regardless of timing, Lord Death had wanted to speak with you.”

“In relation to what?”

“If I were to reason a guess, most likely something to do with finding a way to comfortable schedule the time you’ll need to spend learning from Patricia and I, and what times to expect you to work as an instructor for the new class that will be starting soon,”

His shoulders sagged a bit as he cast a quick glance at Keith. “I… See. I was hoping that I could have a bit more time before seeking him out to discuss that. I was hoping to help Keith find a suitable partner first and then-!”

“Lord Death would like to have this decided before the staff meeting in three days, so that he can start figuring out how and where everyone needs to go. You are not the only one whose schedule requires some modifications and exemptions to be made, you know,” Her tone this time was significantly more chiding.

“I understand. Keith, why don’t you finish eating and think about what I said, okay?” He prompted as he stood, grabbing his own plate as he did. He knew that the talk would most likely take a decent amount of time and he didn’t want his food to go to waste.

“Uh huh,” Keith agreed around a mouthful of the strange salmon-biscuit thing Shiro had put on his plate earlier. Huh, a bit strange, but not unpleasant. He tossed the rest in his mouth before glancing over at the other person seated at their table. He could see the tension releasing from their slight form the further away Shiro got from them. “Intimidated being in the presence of a full Death Scythe?”

They glared up at him, their bright amber eyes sparking like small embers. “You’re so off base it isn’t even funny,”

“If I’m so off base then why did you cower like a scared little mouse the second you found out who he was?” He scoffed, scrutinizing them. He’d seen people start tripping over themselves when they found out about Shiro’s title before. Normally they’d go from being abrasive to amicable and accommodating, or from condescending to more politely combative. But seeing someone seem to be afraid of him? Of Shiro, the most kind and considerate creature that had ever breathed air? That was hard to believe.

They scowled at him for a second before turning their attention back to their computer. “You wouldn’t get it, even if I explained it to you,”

“You can’t say that for sure,”

“Oh, yes, I can. You no different than the other people here,”

He laughed at that. “Care to explain?”

They paused in their typing again and looked up at him. “I don’t think I have to, because I think you know exactly what I mean. If I were to reveal what and why I reacted like that, you’d ask me the same stupid questions in that same ‘Oh, you poor little thing, you’re just making up problems so you have an excuse to be upset’ tone that _every. Single. Other person_ I’ve ever even _whispered_ to about it does. I can tell just by looking at you that you’ll just help to prove my rule, not offer and exception,” And, with that said, they returned their attention to whatever they’d been doing before.

He scowled at them, taking another bite from his mozzarella stick and turning his attention back to the room before them. He could see a young woman wearing a Meister pin talking with a short male wearing a Weapon pin. Beside the Meister was a young boy, also wearing a Weapon pin, with a smug look on her face as he watched the exchange.

Suddenly, the Meister started laughing as loud as they could, causing all conversation and attention to deviate towards them.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me! You think I’d _waste my time_ dual-wielding for someone like _you_?” The Meister cackled.

The short boy flinched a bit but still held her gaze. “I-I may not look like it, but I can be really useful! A-And with a little more training I can get stronger!” He insisted.

“ _Oh, please_! Do you _really_ think I want to invest as much time into getting you to a place where you’d be _useful_ to me? I mean, assuming you could ever even hit that point to begin with!” She said, tossing a red curl of hair over her shoulder. The Weapon beside her started quietly laughing as well.

“But I-!”

“Didn’t she just tell you that you’re useless? Why not go find yourself a dippy little Meister a bit more your stream?” The taller Weapon suddenly chimed in, a smug and proud glint coming to the eyes of the Meister as the Weapon beat the other down.

Keith growled lowly. “What is wrong with those two?”

“Wish I could say that this shouldn’t be expected, but that’d be a lie. This is just who she is and now that she’s got a lackey licking her boots? She’ll be even more aggressively obnoxious about condescending to everyone else,” The other person sitting at the table said, not even glancing up for their work, causing Keith to perk up and look over at them.

“You know her?” He asked.

Their hands paused over the keys and looked over at him. “I know almost everybody here that comes from some long-standing family. Her name’s Clary Thurston, of the long-revered Thurston family of Meisters. They’ve been partnering up with some of the top Death Scythes that were turned out from DWMA. Though, she tends to be a bit better at running her mouth than strutting her stuff, if you catch my drift,” They explained while turning to glare over at the cruel pair. “She needs to get knocked off her little pedestal or else she’ll never stop. She’ll just keep walking around like she’s some kind of untouchable powerhouse, and most of the people around here will feed into it because of her family ties.”

Keith suddenly stood up, his chair scrapping along the floor and causing the other to flinch.

“What are you doing?” They asked in surprise. They both jumped in surprise when they heard a sharp cry come from the smaller Weapon involved in the scuffle. It would seem that the bigger Weapon had gotten sick of him standing there and trying to defend himself, so he’d decked the other in the face. The smaller Weapon was laying there, eyes wide and watery, one hand cupping his cheek.

Rather than answer, Keith whirled around and started to march over to where the verbal flogging was taking place, shoving his hands in his pockets and whistling to get their attention. “Don’t you think you’re going a little far here? Just tell him you aren’t interested in working with him and move along,” Keith said, trying to keep his anger from his voice. It worked, for the most part.

Clary leaned around her partner and quirked an eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?” She said with a little puff of a laugh.

“Pretty sure you heard me just fine. Unless we want to add shit hearing to list of your shortcomings,” He said with a small shrug.

“Oh, was that supposed to be a burn? It’s not even lukewarm, how disappointing,” Clary cooed mockingly. She then turned her attention to the Weapon still prone on the ground and nudged him with the toe of her shoe. “Ugh, can you just get up and go already? You’re only embarrassing yourself and guaranteeing you’ll never get a Meister. Hell, not even the lowest of the low will want to run with someone as feeble as you.”

“Big talk from someone whose only claim to fame is what her Mommy and Daddy have done, as opposed to any of her own accomplishments. Then again, you’d have to actually be decent at anything other than being a bitch to accomplish anything worthwhile,” Keith sneered back. The crowd around them erupted into a thunderous gasp.

Clary’s partner growled and started to turn toward him. “Who the fuck do you-?”

“Nate, calm down!” Clary snapped, pinning him with a strict look before looking back over at Keith. Her lips twitched up a haughty smirk as she took a step forward, standing even with Nate. “I could show you what exactly we can do, but I don’t want to waste my time on a pair of no-name losers like you.”

 “He’s Keith and I’m Pidge; introductions over. Now how about you put up or shut up?” Keith blinked and looked to his left, surprised to see his tablemate stood beside him with a scowl on their own face. He hadn’t noticed the little Weapon pin attached to the pocket of their short-sleeved green button-up shirt they were wearing before.

“What are you doing?” He asked quietly.

“I can’t stand people like her, so I’m offering you my help in wiping the floor with her. You in or not?” They asked, holding his gaze as they spoke. Their eyes were even brighter than their little argument before, sparking with fury and a thirst to make Clary eat her words.

He smirked and nodded his head before looking back over at Clary. “I think now that we all have a handle on names, why don’t we get right into it?” He asked with a smirk.

Clary stared from him to Pidge then growled. “Fine! But don’t think that being partnered with that bratty little girl is going to help you actually get anywhere! Nate, change form!”

Nate looked around frantically. “Uh, but, Clary, shouldn’t we-!”

“ _I said_ change form! Either _do as I say_ or I’ll find _someone who will_!” She snapped back, holding her hand up towards him expectantly. That seemed to work, as Nate placed his hand in hers and closed his eyes, becoming bathed in dull white glow. His shape shifted and shrunk in the light until instead of a human hand, a hatchet with a wide black blade was clutched by the handle in the palm of Clary’s hands.

“Huh, makes sense that she’d partner with a Weapon like _that_ , the cutthroat bitch,” Pidge said with a sharp but quiet bark of laughter.

Keith glanced down at her before offering his own hand. “What kind of Weapon are you, by the way?” He asked.

She looked at him and a wide grin took over her lips, the corners seeming to curl like an amused cat. “Kusarigama, or chain scythe. You have enough experience to handle a blade Weapon?”

His smirk grew as they placed their hand in his. “Oh, absolutely,” He agreed. Pidge hummed before taking a deep breath and willing her own body to shift and change, becoming enveloped in a similar pale light. Slowly, the hand in his morphed into something that felt more like wood than flesh and when the light cleared, he glanced down at what he was working with.

As she said, she was a chain scythe, with a gleaming silver curved blade. There was a little bit of an off-shoot on the top, where it curved in a sharp triangular point. That could certainly be beneficial in a situation where inflicted damage would be necessary. The handle did seem to be made of some kind of synthetic wood in a light brown, though he couldn’t say for certain. He wasn’t a Weapon himself and, while Shiro had tried to explain it to him in the past, the specifics of how the shift from forms worked still didn’t make a lot of sense to him. He followed the chain at the other end of the handle and smirked a bit at the small knife with a green blade, seeming to be akin to a kunai but slightly shorter and wider.

“Now _that_ is a fun little accessory,” He mused, reaching down to grab the blade.

“Yeah, I’m not exactly sure why I have that. I mean, my being a Weapon already makes little to no sense when looking at my family lineage, but just be careful with it If you throw the chain around all willy-nilly an enemy could very easily use it against you,” Pidge’s voice echoed in his head. He was used to the sensation to some extent, though it was certainly interesting being bonded with someone other than Shiro like this.

He opened his mouth to say something before he noticed the see of people around them shifting, circling around he and Clary. Clary shifted her stance and grip on Nate’s handle, eyes narrowing as she stared Keith down. He felt a thrill run through him at the indignation shining in the other’s eyes. “Looks like she’s out for blood,” He said quietly.

“You’ll want to be extra careful then. She’ll have to get in close for any serious attacks; meanwhile, we can play both angles,”

“My sentiment exactly,” He agreed, adjusting his own stance as Clary rushed at him. He pivoted his body to dodge her entirely, causing her to nearly trip over herself and into the ground. She twisted her own body and surged after him, fast on his tail, and he blocked her attempt to slash at his stomach. He pressed the blade closer against hers, then dragged up, so that her blade caught on the little triangular tip and thrust out his arm with a powerful yank.

He kept his grip on Pidge’s handle and, just for added security, kept the chain wrapped firmly around his other hand. While Clary’s grip on Nate’s handle slackened, she managed to grip him before he could be completely yanked from her grasp. With Keith exposed as he was, she lurched forward with the aim of punching him in the gut.

Instead, he wrapped the chain around her hand and flipped her around with it. She gasped and, while her back was facing him, he released her wrist and shoved her away with his knee. She nearly toppled over, but caught herself and flipped into a handstand to right herself. She whirled around with a low, furious growl to face him down again once she was upright.

Keith smirked as he leaned up and tilted his head back in a “Come at me” motion. Oh, this was going to be fun.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro followed Death Scythe Thompson as she led him through the thicket of adolescences to where Lord Death stood with the other of his current primaries hovering beside him with her usual chipper smile in place. “Hello, Death Scythe Thompson,” He said, nodding his head at her. They had sequestered themselves towards the back of the great hall, where they could oversee everything but none of the students seemed to be getting too close to. Either because they were too busy interacting and trying to find a Partner, or out of sheer intimidation over being in the presence of Lord Death himself, he couldn’t say for certain.

She offered him a little salute. “Hiya, Shiro!” She beamed.

He turned his attention back to Lord Death, the other scanning the room before them, bright gold eyes glinting with some emotion Shiro couldn’t quite place. Apprehension, perhaps? “Hello, Lord Death. I apologize for not coming to speak with you sooner, I had just wanted to tend to getting Keith settled in first,” He said gently.

“It’s quite fine, Shiro. Now, in regards to your training schedule, I’ve already figured out what I would like to do. I just wanted to make sure that it would be satisfactory for you,” He said, the look seeming to fade away for a moment, and turned to meet his gaze. Shiro nodded for him to continue, taking the chance to take another bite of his food. “My plan will be that, during school hours, you will be shadowing either myself, Patricia or Elizabeth so that you can see the more dull expectations of your position. I have also spoken with Professor Rung and he’ll be having you help out with two lectures a week, with his goal being to have you assisting on a set schedule of Thursday and Friday, though there may be weeks where accommodations may need to be made.”

“That should be fine. It seems like a very… Limited amount of time to be working on my training me on my responsibilities, though,” He commented.

Lord Death hummed quietly, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his gaze returned to watching the children as some kind of commotion started to kick up. “Tell me, Shiro; when was the last time you spoke with Matthew?”

That question caught him by surprise, to say the least. He hadn’t expected Lord Death to be interested in his standing with his original Meister; he was to be the primary Death Scythe now, after all. “Ah, he and I haven’t actually spoken much since I accepted the opportunity to become your primary. I know that he had mentioned being interested in perhaps transferring, but then again, that conversation was almost three months ago,” He thought aloud. Shiro swallowed down another bite of food to try and squash the growing sense of disappointment and guilt that rushed through him.

He had meant to keep up with Matt, even if they weren’t going to be partners any more. Matt had been his Meister for over three years and had been the one to make him a Death Scythe in the first place. Regardless of who wielded him now, Shiro felt like there was a part of him that would always be Matt’s Weapon first and foremost.

“As of right now, he is stationed in Western European Branch, looking into some rather… Concerning rumors,” Lord Death explains. Shiro stiffens a bit in his own stance and feels a small bit relieved. There had been three other full Death Scythes made in the same year as him and he knew them and their Meisters well. If Matt was in Western Europe, he was in good hands between the team sent there to take over and the Death Scythe that would be training them.

“He’s with Tio and Hazel, right? I’m sure they’ll keep him safe,” He said gently.

Lord Death looked a bit surprised as he turned to stare at Shiro, then looked to Patricia and Elizabeth. Patricia looked off to the side sadly, leaving the task to Elizabeth. “We hadn’t found the right time to tell you, Shiro, but Matthew was stationed out there to be a temporary Meister to Tio. Hazel… Well, Hazel is incredibly unwell,” She explained calmly, though she seemed to shudder at whatever she meant.

“We are trying to keep the information to a minimum of sources, simply to avoid pandemonium and hysteria which would only make the matter escalate even faster, but it would seem that the Galra have been poking around in the area and Hazel has become their latest test subject,” Elizabeth elaborated further. She stole a glance at the gleaming steel of Shiro’s prosthetic arm and then looked back at his face. “As one of the Meisters with the highest skill in regards to using their soul wavelength as a defense mechanism, sending Matthew to partner with Tio until Hazel can be relocated and contained was the most logical approach. Depending on what his next report says, we may need to send another team to help them bring her in to avoid any tragic consequences.”

“If the situation should require it, would you like me to go offer my help?” He offered.

Lord Death chuckled. “I know you are protective and concerned about the safety of your original Meister, Shiro, but we need you to focus on your work here. We need to be assured that the newest crop of Meisters and Weapons we turn out are prepared for what may be expected of them. This generation will face challenges and threats that have not been seen in almost a full decade. Thankfully enough, it seems that the ones we have now are lively and energetic. I’m sure they’ll turn out to be methodical, resourceful, and responsible forces against the threat of Kishin and the Galran forces.” He was smiling gently at the gathering of children as a few of them parted down the center.

And then a hatchet went flying through the air, missing Lord Death’s shoulder by a mere hair and lodging firmly into the wall just behind him.

Elizabeth’s eyes slowly widened in horror while Patricia clamped a hand over her mouth to try and muffle the beginnings of laughter. Lord Death’s face remained frozen in the peaceful expression he’d worn a moment before, though Shiro could see the faintest of twitches at the corner of the other man’s mouth. He wheeled around and looked over to where the sea of students had parted to reveal the culprit. All Shiro could think was, _‘Please don’t be mine. Please don’t be mine. Please don’t be mine.’_

It took all Shiro’s strength to not face palm at the sight of Keith standing there, in the center of the spectacle, looking a mix of horrified and impressed with how far he’d flung the Weapon.

Elizabeth was the first to recover, turning to glare down at the students, her dark blue eyes promising frigid treatment for those involved. “Those that were fighting, _front and center right now_!” She shouted angrily.

Patricia finally lost it and dropped her hand, instead wrapping her arms around her middle. “Bwahaha! You’re _all_ in trouble now! You made Big Sis _really_ ~! _Mad_ ~!” She sang happily.

Lord Death blinked twice himself before taking a deep breath and turning to approach the hatchet still half stuck in the wall. The Weapon had turned back into their human form, aside from their arm, which they were trying to yank free to turn it back from being a blade. “Nathaniel Sampson, correct?” He asked as he wrapped one arm around the young man’s waist and gave a great heave.

It took little effort for the Shinigami to dislodge him and then calmly release him back on his feet. “Uh, y-yes, Sir,” Nate agreed sheepishly.

“You should know better than to be having fights inside,” Lord Death said evenly. While he was speaking with Nate, Elizabeth had crossed the room and was dragging Keith and the female Meister he’d been brawling with over. Shiro perked up in surprise when he spotted a chain scythe settled in Keith’s hand, the chain of it dangling to occasional smack his leg. “All of you should know better than to exhibit such behaviors.” He continued as the other three joined their little group.

“ _They_ started it!” The female Meister suddenly snapped, pointing a finger accusingly at Keith and the Weapon in his grip.

“Keep telling yourself that, Thurston,” Keith scoffed lightly.

“ _Everyone_ will tell Lord Death the truth! _You_ and your little _gremlin friend_ were the ones that decided to come picking a fight _with me_!” She barked back.

That seemed to enrage the Weapon in question, as they started to shift back to their human form. “That’s _straight up bullshit_ and _you know it_!” They snapped angrily, reaching out as if to slap the other Meister while one hand gripped Keith’s forearm. Shiro was bemused as he realized it was the same reserved person that had been sitting at the table with he and Keith.

“Pidge, what _the Hell_?” The young man in question snapped, his tone a mix of incredulous and frustrated as he floundered to keep them both upright. Pidge didn’t seem like they were particularly heavy but Shiro had learned from personal experience how difficult it could be when one turned between forms without warning.

He watched with an amused smile as Keith and Pidge toppled backwards with a loud squawk from both of them. Pidge’s face collided with the floor hard while he could see an elbow lodging itself into Keith’s cheek with a generous amount of force.

They’d certainly be feeling _that_ later.

Lord Death watched the spectacle with an unamused frown. Meanwhile, Patricia had toppled over on to the ground in an even more severe laughing fit. “I can assure you that I have _every_ intention of speaking with your peers about this,” Lord Death said evenly, opting to ignore the Death Scythe spasming on the ground behind him,” but I will be the first to acknowledge I have no interest in who, exactly, issued the challenge in the first place. What I am most concerned with is that two rookie Meisters decided to fight one another, in a crowded ballroom, with two equally green-horned Weapons. Either of you could have seriously injured one another or one of your peers spectating. It would seem that, during the opening ceremonies, I’ll have to also plan an announcement regarding the proper ways to handle conflict resolution.” He shook his head and looked from Keith, who was scrambling back on to his feet, over to Shiro evenly. “I take it this is the young man you’ve been looking after?”

Shiro nodded quickly. “Yes, this is Keith,” He said, a sense of uneasiness starting to roll in his stomach.

Lord Death nodded and turned to look at the dark haired young man. “I understand that Shiro sees great potential in you. I want to put my trust in his judgment, but I cannot have those that could become a liability in this school. We are an academy teaching those with the potential about how to harness their skills to protect not only themselves, but those that may be unable to fight creatures like Kishin. We have rules and restrictions in this academy for a reason. I expect you to keep your head and those expectations in mind going forward. Agreed?” Lord Death asked calmly.

Keith stared the other down, his azure eyes gleaming as if he intended to try and challenge the other’s authority. Then, he slowly blinked and nodded his head. “I understand, Lord Death,” He said, tone surprisingly polite and collected.

Shiro slowly released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He had seen how Keith could react when disciplinary actions were being taken against him.

“Excellent. Now, in regards to your punishment… The four of you will be cleaning up after tonight’s festivities conclude, as well as helping out with giving the tours for the new dorm students in three days. Tomorrow morning I expect all four of you to meet with Professor Ford to be given a full tour of your own to assure you can best assist your peers. Am I understood?” Lord Death asked.

All four students groaned but answered with a unified, “Yes, Lord Death.”

“Excellent. Now, Elizabeth, we’ll simply need to get in contact with Ford and let him know to expect them,” Lord Death turned his attention fully to the sibling Death Scythe’s beside him. As they fell into their chatter about the following day’s events, Shiro turned to look at Keith.

The other, however, was already making his way back towards the table with Pidge beside him.

“I have to say, I wasn’t expecting you to be a chain scythe. Pretty cool, though. Plus, you really knew what you were talking about in regards to battle strategy,” He mused lightly.

Pidge shrugged a bit. “Ah, being a Weapon is okay, I guess. I have to say, though, I’m impressed! You adapted pretty well, considering your personal experience with a Weapon like me is probably pretty limited,”

“The only Weapons I’ve ever wielded before have actually been swords and knives, and Shiro in his naginata form a couple of times. I’ve never actually used a scythe weapon before; especially not a chained one,”

“ _Seriously_? You’ve got to be pulling my leg!” Pidge laughed in disbelief.

Keith chuckled a bit and shook his head. “Dead serious. But… I really liked working with you. If you don’t already have another Meister picked out, would you be interested?”

“You know what? Sure. I doubt I’d be able to find anyone else with half an idea what they were doing with me, anyway,” She said, her tone just the slightest bit playful around the edges.

“Well, thank you. I’m Keith Kogane, just for the sake of formality,”

“Pidge Gunderson. Please take good care of me, and I promise to do the same for you,”

He couldn’t quite catch the rest of their conversation after that, but a weight Shiro hadn’t been aware was bogging him down seemed to alleviate some. Maybe, with the proper guidance and outlets, Keith would be fine on his own.

He could only hope for as much, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the school's orientation and move-in has arrived! Some more of the new students arrive on the scene, ready to prove themselves as well as stir up just a little bit of chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small points of clarification before you read this chapter:  
> Re: Chapter One: Follows Soul Eater comic canon but diverges at points, which I will clarify when applicable; Soul Eater characters will get occasional cameos but carry no significance to story beats; OCs will be used as placeholders but, again, will have little development/spotlight.  
> I'll be making a post in a few days to my Tumblr with some specifics in regards to world-building/establishment that are briefly touched upon but never outright addressed. Some other things will be addressed but will not include spoilers. If you have any questions regarding how things in the fic's universe work, feel free to leave me a message for waht I should include in my post at my Tumblr, some-cookie-crumbz.

The soft click of her flats along the tile as she walked down the hall to the large, bright office of at the end of it echoed around her, the sound seeming almost foreboding. She kept her head tilted forward and upward despite the unease settling into her gut. She was supposed to be leaving for Shibusen that morning. All her things were packed and, aside from a small suitcase of personal items that she’d needed in the time before leaving, shipped off to site. Coran had returned to Altea two nights ago to help prepare her for the move and give her a better idea of what she should be expecting once she arrived. It struck her as a bit odd that her father would call her for a meeting mere hours before her departure, so her mind immediately jumped towards there being some kind of trouble brewing in their country.

She only hoped it wouldn’t postpone her departure for Shibusen.

She rapped on the door lightly once she arrived, waiting to be called inside. Instead, the door opened and to revealed the bright face of Coran to her. “You’re right on time!” He mused, stepping aside so she could step in.

She offered a small smile, though she made sure to keep her posture as she moved. “But of course; punctuality is to be expected of me in all facets of my life if I am to ever take over as leader of Altea one day,” She said, her tone polite but proud.

Her father stood behind his desk, back turned to stare out the large window behind him that overlooked their city. “I suppose that is a good way to look at it, isn’t it?” He said, voice warm with amusement.

Allura allowed her posture to relax the slightest bit at this tone. If there was calamity in Altea, she knew her father would be upfront with her about it. “It seems to be the most logical approach to me. But, setting that aside, you wanted to speak with me, Father?” She asked.

“Sit, my dear,” He said, finally turning away from the window and indicating one of the large, plush seats before the desk. After a moment, she carefully settled herself, leaving her hands folded neatly in her lap. Once she was settled into her seat, Alfor took his own and picked up a few manila folders he’d had on a stack on one of the edges closest to his seat. “Today is a momentous moment for you, my dear daughter, and it leaves me in a strange situation. On the one hand, you’ve grown into an insightful and strong young woman. I couldn’t be prouder of the young woman you are now, and the young woman that I am sure you will become through this experience. However, as a father… It is a bit distressing to watch you go. A part of me feels like I am losing you, in a way, despite knowing that I am not. You are simply growing up and it is time for you to begin taking strides for yourself. It is a vexing position to be placed in, to say the least.” He explained gently, offering her a soft smile.

She felt a small flush come to her cheeks and she looked down at her hands. “Oh, Father, you know that I will always love you. I have only become who I am now thanks to how I was raised by yourself, Coran and… Mother, when she was still with us. Even though she has gone, I have held what she taught me close to my heart for all this time,” She said, swallowing hard at the thought. Even though it had been well over a decade since the tragic and sudden death of her mother, it still twisted at her like a dagger to the back when she allowed her mind to dwell on it.

“Queen Melenor lives on through your memories of her and all you’ve inherited from her. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if her angelic presence was in this room right now! Watching in delight as you prepare to take your first steps down this new path!” Coran said, his tone more energetic in a hope to help cheer the two other’s from the more somber moods they’d started to be dragged down by.

Alfor flashed a grateful smile at the other man and nodded. “You are quite right, Coran. Your mother would be just as proud, if not more so, than I am with how far you’ve come. Honing your skills as a Weapon is no easy feat, but you have continued to surpass all expectations placed before you,” Alfor agreed as he stood again, carefully setting the files out across the desk in front of her. Allura tilted her head curiously, glancing from the folders back up at him. He merely nodded at them, implying she was open to take a peek inside. “It is actually due to your skills and the circumstances of your upcoming term of academia that I wanted to have this meeting with you.” He said gently.

She reached out and plucked one of the folders up, opening it and blinking a bit. Inside was a picture of a young man, clearly of Altean heritage, his face showing that of silent determination. At the bottom of his picture was the name “Prakash Begay”. Inside was a small sample of writings about him, including his name, age, blood type and a few other interesting tidbits about his battle prowess and… Oh. Allura glared down at the page and then back up at her father. “I hope I am mistaken in this but… Is this a file about a Meister?”

Alfor seemed a bit bemused by the disdain in her words. “Yes, it is. I have combed through the eligible Meisters here in Altea and selected a few that I feel would be splendid partners for you. It would be a good idea for you to have a partner that will be attuned to your Weapon classification and highly-specialized skill set before you arrive on campus, and if they were also Altean, you’d have someone you could learn the customs in America with,” He explained patiently.

She dropped the file on the desk and slowly pressed it away. “While I appreciate the gesture, Father, this will not be necessary. I intend to find a Meister of my own once I arrive on campus,” She said evenly, folding her hands in her lap again.

He blinked then frowned and shook his head. “Allura, while I understand that you have an idea of what you might be looking for in a partner, picking a partner is not as simple as looking at someone and deciding. Soul wavelength compatibility is the first factor that you must consider, as no good team can be formed out of two individuals that cannot agree on anything. It is also beneficial for your Meister to have a good understanding of how to handle themselves against a Kishin while working with a Weapon of your classification,” He said.

She kept her face settled in a determined scowl. “I am aware of these factors, Father. I will be sure to keep them in mind, but I am not going to pick a partner just because you think they’ll be a good fit for me,” She argued.

“These are not people that I think would be good partners for you, Allura; they are Meisters that objectively possess skills and personalities that will work well with your own,” He said, his tone a bit more stern this time.

“Do you recall what you said to be only moments ago? About me ‘growing up’ and ‘being time to begin taking strides for myself’? Wouldn’t picking my own partner be the next logical step towards forging my own path?”

“You still are picking your partner, Allura. You’re just picking one that has a better idea of how to work with you than some other random student you meet at Shibusen might,” He insisted, remaining calm despite the slight twitch of irritation in his brow.

“But you’ve selected which ones are best! You are placing me within certain parameters to follow! You’re making me select a partner based upon which Meisters you think would be best for me!” She argued, standing up in frustration. Alfor leaned back in his seat to maintain eye contact with her, regardless of how bewildered he was. “This feels as if you are trying to imply you think that you do not, actually, trust my judgment!”

Alfor could only stare at her, absolutely floored by the accusation. When he didn’t immediately try to dissuade her from such a thought, Allura turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door as she did. “Allura, wait!” He called, moving to rush out from behind his desk and pursue her.

“I’d hold off on that, Sire,” Coran commented gently, approaching the desk from his post by the wall.

Alfor sighed and slumped back into his seat. “I didn’t think she’d read so deeply into this; I mean, Melenor and I were assigned to one another by our families. I just… I just want her to have a partner that will keep her safe. A partner that knows how to properly wield her and balance her out. I’m so afraid of what could happen to her, especially given everything that has happened recently with the Galra,” He admitted, lacing his fingers together, resting his elbows on his desk and leaning his chin atop his fingers.

“Have you considered telling her as much? Allura is a very mature young woman; I’m sure she’d be more open to listening to you if you approached her with the full truth,” He suggested, walking over to set a reassuring hand on his leader’s shoulder.

“The last thing I want if for her to be swamped with anxiety over the state of matters in Altea while she’s trying to adjust to life in Shibusen,” He said, shaking his head a bit and cracking his eye to look at the other. The look of uncertainty on his face was foreign and bizarre, but not necessarily an unexpected one, Coran surmised. “Sometimes I wonder if Melenor would have handled matters such as this better than I. I worry that I am being too controlling, or not being restrictive enough… I just wish I knew what the best option to keep her safe was. She is all I have left, Coran; I cannot stand the thought of losing her, too.”

The other gave his shoulder a small, reassuring squeeze and chuckled a bit. “I think that Queen Melenor would tell you to trust that Allura can handle herself. She knows right from wrong, and I doubt that she’d pick a partner that has no experience with wielding a gun-type Weapon such as herself. And I’ll always be there if she needs someone to talk to, as well,” He said, lightly twirling one corner of his moustache at his last comment.

A small chuckle came from Alfor at that, moving to set his hand atop Coran’s on his shoulder and give it a small squeeze. “You’re absolutely right. Thank you, Coran, for always being a voice of reason and reassurance in trying times such as these,” He said, voice soft with sincere gratitude.

The other nodded and gave his shoulder one last squeeze. “All I try to do is my job as a royal advisor, as well as your friend, Alfor,” He said before lifting his hand. He nodded his head towards the door. “Now, I’ll go see if I can’t find Princess Allura and calm her down a bit. Convince her to come and have a serious conversation with you about everything.”

“I’d greatly appreciate it, thank you,” Alfor agreed, nodding his head in a polite dismissal. Coran bowed and then slipped out into the hallway, already knowing exactly where the young heiress would have gone to in her distress. The Royal Gardens were clear across the castle from Alfor’s office, but he was sure that Allura would already be tucked inside, ducked under the grand tree.

He took his time with heading for the garden, simply because he wanted to give her as much time as possible to calm down. He understood where her frustration with her father laid, and certainly felt like some of it was justified, but that perhaps not the explosive way she’d chosen to go about it. Meanwhile, he also understood where Alfor was coming from in his fears and apprehension about his daughter’s future should she be partnered with a Meister with slim knowledge of how to use a Weapon like her. Part of being a royal advisor, as Coran saw it and had always chosen to approach it, was that he approach all situations as a neutral party so that he could advisor with the clearest judgment.

Once he walked in, he headed straight for the tree, Allura’s white and gold shoes completely visible, propped against the trunk of the tree. He rounded it to finger her there, legs spread out before her, several flowers settled in her lap. She was working them carefully into bracelets, crowns and other little fun accessories. “Preparing for the Festival of Fae Folk early, I see?” He said playfully.

She jumped a bit, eyes flickering to stare up at him before looking back down at her hands, her scowl from before returning. “I take it you’re going to tell me I was overreacting to what Father said, correct?”

“Not quite,” Coran mused, shifting to settle down into the spot beside her. She stared at him in surprise before setting down the newer piece she’d been working on. “I think that it was unfair of your Father to choose to approach this in such a way. I think that if he’d approached this with you sooner and suggested you look into Meisters with pre-established skills that could make them compatible, then you could have discussed the subject and your respective concerns better. I understand where your Father is coming from but I also think that it is fair that it be something you decide for yourself. Just because it has been tradition for noblemen with the powers of Meisters and Weapons to be partnered through the decisions of their kin doesn’t mean it should be set in stone. Tradition is something that can be something we turn to and rely on during trying times, but it is also something that may need to adapt and change as society and our ideals do as well. I think that you and your Father will be able to reach a compromise if you’re both open to discussion.”

They sat in silence for a while, allowing his words to turn around in her head as she finished yet another crown. “Do you really think so?” She asked quietly.

“I do. Your Father loves you more than anything else in the world and, at the end of the day, he wants you to be happy more than anything else,” He said gently.

Allura took a deep breath before picking her shoes back up and putting them back up. “Okay. Will you come with me, Coran?” She asked, carefully setting the flowers down. She kept one of the flower crowns in her hands.

He smiled and nodded, shifting and pushing himself back up on to his feet. “I’ve been there every time before this, haven’t I?” He said playfully.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If asked to describe Professor Ford in the simplest of terms, the best option would be: slave driver.

The man was a stickler for punctuality and had enjoyed reaming into Pidge when she’d turned up ten minutes late to their early morning meet-up the night after the orientation festivities. When she had pointed out that Clary and Nate were nowhere to be seen, he insisted that they’d receive an equally-scalding lecture from him upon their arrival as well. Neither of them turned up over the course of the next three days of preparations. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to handle this a bit differently than intended. I’ll see if I can’t round up some other professors and members of school staff to help with the actual tours for today. For now, I want you two to handle checking in the new students, handing out their school IDs and keeping them all corralled nearby to assure we can get everyone into the auditorium once they arrive,” Professor Ford said, gesturing towards a large table set up beside the double-doors of the auditorium.

Before either Keith or Pidge could ask him how, exactly, they should keep the other students from wandering off, Professor Ford was already halfway across the small courtyard, clearly heading for the teacher’s lounge. “I hope he spills coffee on his favorite tie,” Pidge seethed quietly.

Keith quirked an eyebrow. “Is _that_ the worst you can come up with?” He scoffed, walking around the table and getting settled in one of the two metal folding chairs. They would be incredibly uncomfortable, but he figured he’d just stand and lean against the building if he got too stiff or sore.

“I can do _much worse_ , but I’m trying to be fair. As far as he’s concerned, we’re just two rebels up to no good,” She said with a small huff, settling into the chair beside him.

“Oh yeah, you totally scream ‘rebel’ in the green turtleneck and khaki shorts,” Keith scoffed, his tone clearly amused.

“I’ll have you know that green and khaki can both be quite rebellious colors, in the right context!” She huffed back, a faint blush to her cheeks.

“Maybe if you’re a cashier at Walmart, yeah,” He teased, shifting to lean his head in his hands and then hissing in pain and jerking upright. He scowled at his hand, as if it were the cause. “How much longer before this stupid bruise heals up?”

Pidge perked up and paused in reaching for the clipboard with the list of names. “Is it still really tender?” She asked, leaning over a bit to try and get a better look at it.

“As long as I don’t really prod at it, it’s fine. Which is why I keep forgetting,” He mumbled quietly, waving one hand to indicate she not worry. He then reached over to the miniature filing cabinet that house the student IDs, scowling a bit. “Huh… At least he was nice enough to alphabetize them for us.”

“Same with the list. I double-check the names then you give them their IDs?” Pidge suggested.

“Sounds good. You’re the one that has to tell them to stay in the courtyard, though,”

Pidge hummed quietly, picking up the highlighter that had been left for them and tapping it on the pages of names. “So, I guess, since we actually have a little bit of downtime, we should probably get to know each other a little better, huh?”

His brow scrunched and he looked at her dubiously. “Why would we need to do that?”

“Because we’re partners? And part of that is being able to properly synch of soul wavelengths?” She said, scowling at having to explain herself. He was the Meister, not her! Knowing this kind of stuff should have been one of the first things he looked into!

“I can wield you just fine. Remember the fight with that one chick the other day?” He pointed out with a shrug.

“Which only happened because you and I were in similar headspaces! We had a similar opinion of Clary, we had similar end goals, so any potential conflict in personality wouldn’t be present in that instance! We had the same short term goal so-!”

“Which is the same now. On missions we’ll have the same goal of collecting 99 Kishin souls and one Galra-aligned witch’s soul, so we’ll be fine on that front. The only thing we’ll really need to coordinate on is the division of housecleaning in our dorm and meals and such, but that should be something we can work out once we get settled in,” He explained.

Pidge opened her mouth to say something when they were approached by a few students. “This is the check-in for orientation, right?” One of the duo asked politely.

“Oh, yeah,” Pidge said, glancing down at the list, “what are the names?”

“I’m Lamar Hernandez and this is my partner, Samantha Clerk,” The other said with a small smile.

Pidge hummed as she skimmed to the Cs and Hs, using her finger to hold her spot, then tapped each name with the capped highlighter once spotted. “Ah, I’ve got you right here. You’ve been assigned to the New Moon Class,” She said, popping the cap to highlight the names. Keith skimmed through the little collection of IDs before producing both, offering them wordlessly. “Orientation will start in just a few minutes, so please stay close by.”

“Of course. Thank you,” Samantha said, flashing a smile at them before she and her partner wandered off to the small sitting area in the courtyard. Pidge let out a small sigh as she watched them chat animatedly about this or that.

She figured it was probably nice to have a partner that was actually excited to talk and get to know you better.

Slowly more students trickled in and came to check in with them, the process repeating with each new team. It was interesting when other students assigned to the Crescent Moon class like she and Keith stopped by, just to see what their peers would be like, but it only heightened her frustration with his refusal to talk. She wasn’t saying he needed to bear his soul to her or anything! She understood keeping some secrets or really personal things bottled up, but it would be nice to at least have a decent idea of who her partner was!

She was thinking about picking the fight with him about it when two strange figures approached them. What caught Pidge first was the fact that one of them was significantly older, but after a moment her mind produced a name to attach to the face. “You’re Professor Smythe, aren’t you?” She asked.

He blinked a bit in surprise while Keith himself perked up in curiosity. “Why yes, I am. You don’t seem familiar to me, though. What is your name?” He asked, tone just the slightest bit suspicious.

“Pidge Gunderson. I read the dissertation you released last year about how soul energy could be used to help boost the healing of a Meister, should they have enough control of how to manipulate the soul energy. I found it incredibly fascinating and scientifically sound,” She explained with a small smile.

He chuckled and nodded. “Ah, that was a difficult subject to breach. A lot of the top-qualified Meisters thought that it wasn’t a subject that I should be allowed to speculate on. Lord Death was the one who insisted that I be allowed to develop my thesis further and have it published for consideration by the Meister-Weapon community as a whole. Never thought that a subject such as that would be what caused a spark of controversy; especially not a piece written by myself,” He mused.

“The other pages you’ve written about manipulation of soul energy have also been phenomenal research studies. Your words carry quite a bit of weight within the research community, so I can see why some ignorant minds would be intimidated by the prospect of what you were suggesting,” She explained with a wave of one hand. Her eyes were bright with excitement over the topic and she shifted to sit up a bit better. “For them it means having to add an additional layer of training to how Meisters conduct themselves and ration out their soul energy in battle, though, so of course they’re opposed to it.”

“My, you must be a very aware Meister to look into his work! Though, I must admit, I was unaware of the controversy behind your latest research endeavor, Coran,” The lovely young woman beside him chimed, her blue eyes wide in admiration.

“She’s the Weapon; I’m the Meister,” Keith said bluntly, looking from the young woman, to Coran, and then back to Pidge. “And now I’m curious. Why are you reading research studies about skills that sound like they’re geared towards Meisters, anyway?”

“You said that getting to know each other wasn’t important, right? No point in you asking questions now,” She huffed, even having the audacity to stick her tongue out at him.

He blinked then turned to the other two before him. “Anyway, what’s the name?” He asked, looking at the young woman.

She jumped a bit then cleared her throat. “Oh, um, I am Princess Allura of Altea. However, if there is any way… Can that be kept quiet?” She asked uneasily. At the blank stare he offered her, she tried giving a small smile of his own. “I would like to be treated the same as my peers. I fear that, the full details of my heritage and position, could be a detriment to that.”

“You might need to speak with Lord Death about that; but, hey, you’re in Crescent Moon class like us. You must be an impressive Weapon,” Pidge commented, shifting through the names and marking her off. She looked up as Keith handed her the ID.

Allura smiled and nodded as she took the ID. “I am what is considered a high-qualification status Weapon, meaning I am less of a front runner and better for distance and range assignments,” She explained happily. She opened her mouth to say more when Professor Ford reappeared, Lord Death and the Death Scythes Thompson just a few paces behind, seemingly from nowhere.

“Ah, Coran, perfect timing. Would you have any interest in helping us with guiding the new recruits to their dorms?” Lord Death asked with a small smile.

Coran perked up and beamed at him. “Ah, of course! It’s always a delight to see what the new classes have in store ahead of their first day of class!” He said happily.

“Perfect. Would you mind coming along and helping us finish set-up for the orientation in the auditorium?” Professor Ford asked, reaching to open the doors.

Coran looked at Allura, but she offered a quick nod and bright smile. “You go on ahead, I’ll be fine,” She said reassuringly. With a small nod from him, he followed Professor Ford into the auditorium, the two beginning to quietly discuss the situation with what they intended to accomplish with the upcoming presentation. She then looked over at Pidge and Keith curiously. “So, if I may ask, how did you two meet?”

“We decided to take a jab at the Queen Bee and knock her off her pedestal,” Keith said with a small chuckle.

At her confused reaction, Pidge waved a hand. “This chick from a long-standing lineage of Meisters was talking down to a Weapon that wanted to be partnered with her, making her a dual-wielder, so he stood up to her. She challenged him, I offered to pair with him for the fight, and we proceeded to kick her sorry ass all over the ballroom,” She elaborated.

“Is it truly that easy?”

“You mean you don’t have a partner yet?” Keith asked in surprise.

“Well, sadly, no. I was originally intended to arrive in time for the meet-and-greet a few days ago, but due to some diplomatic situations back in Altea, my presence was required there instead. The two of you were able to meet very easily, though, so I figure it wouldn’t be so difficult. Do you think this will pose a problem?” She asked worriedly.

“Well, with the year starting in two more days, you’ll just need to find someone whose comfortable with dual-wielding,” Pidge said.

Keith looked at her. “But she’s also a high-qualification status Weapon; she’ll need a Meister whom is specialized in her Weapon type, as well as typically having a heightened perception when it comes to their soul wavelength and how to manipulate it,” He explained. Pidge blinked then tilted her head and nodded, realizing how right he was.

“Well, perhaps _I_ can be of assistance,” A voice chimed from behind them, carrying with it what Keith could only explain as an attempt at sounding suave. They turned to see a young man approaching them, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants and a smug grin on his face. The way he carried himself reminded Keith quite a bit of Clary and her obnoxious sidekick, though this guy’s personality seemed slightly more subdued.

He still didn’t necessarily like it, though.

“Lance, can you wait up for, like, _two seconds_?” Another voice called, this one with a bit of a tired whine infused with it. This man was just a smidge taller than his associate, shoulders slumping a bit and pausing to lean over and catch his breath. “Dude… Why did you… Have to run… Halfway across… Campus?” He wheezed, lifting one hand from his knees to press to his chest.

“And who might you two be?” Allura asked curiously, reaching into her purse and offering a small tissue to the hunched over male.

He perked up and offered a bright smile as he took it. “Thanks,” He said, sounding happier but still a bit winded.

The first male to approach cleared his throat, indicating himself with a grand sweep of his arm and bow at the hips. “I’m Lance McClain, my lovely lady,” He said, lifting his head to offer Allura a wink. His response was a small frown and roll of her eyes. He stood upright and indicated the other male with him. “And this is my Partner, Hunk Garrett.”

The other was standing more upright now, offering a small smile and wave. “Nice to meet you all,” He said.

Allura tilted her head, cupping her chin in thought, her eyes scoping over both young men. Lance, as he introduced himself, was a lanky sort, his frame still a bit awkward. Meanwhile, Hunk was a bit more bulky, a bit more durable. She would need someone who was a bit better grounded, she figured, to handle her. Especially since she knew there could be the occasional push back when it came to her Weapon form. Her eyes lit up and she beamed, taking Hunk’s hands in her own eagerly. “I take it you are looking to dual-wield, then? I’d be very grateful if you were to partner up with me as well, though I do think that we’ll need to discuss my Weapon specifics thoroughly to assure our success,” She said happily.

Hunk blinked a few times before looking between Allura and Lance frantically. The other male looked absolutely gob smacked at how eagerly Allura reacted to him. “I… Uh… I think there may be a bit of a misunderstanding here,” Hunk sputtered out meekly.

She cocked her head and a small pout turned up on her lips. “Are you not interested in dual-wielding, then? Or do you think I would be an unsatisfactory partner?”

“N-No, not at all! I mean, I don’t exactly know you, but… Well, you seem nice enough and I’d be totally cool with working with you except-!”

“ _I’m_ the Meister, not Hunk!” Lance huffed suddenly, arms crossed over his chest and what could only be described as a pout on his face. Allura only stared at him for a moment and he threw his hands up.

Allura slowly retracted her hands from Hunk’s her elf-like ears seeming to droop slightly, and an apprehensive smile finding its way on her lips. “Is… Is that so?” She trailed uneasily.

“Yes, it is! What, do you not think I have what it takes to be the Meister?” He accused with a small sniff.

“It isn’t that!” Allura said, quickly holding her hands up defensively. Keith and Pidge exchanged quirked brows before shifting in their seats to be a bit more comfortable for what was surely going to be a show. “It’s just that… Well, most of the Meisters I’ve met have been the broader type, like Hunk here. And for a Weapon such as myself, it would be good to be partnered with someone who had a good durability. When a Meister fires using me, there can be a bit of a kickback, and it can… Well, it’s hurt a few others that have tried to wield me that weren’t a bit more physically hearty.” As she elaborated, she tucked a strand of hair behind one ear and fidgeted her hands afterwards.

Slowly one of the young man’s brows raised, his blue eyes sparking with amusement. “Oh, so if I can just prove that I can handle the kickback, you’ll join us, then?” He mused.

“Lance, dude, I don’t think that’s exactly what she-!”

But it was too late, Lance was already heading over to Keith and Pidge. “Hey, do you guys have any, like, chalk or something? Just so that I can mark the ground or something,” He said, setting one hand on the table and holding the other out to them expectantly.

The two exchanged looks and Pidge snorted. “Uh, no. Why would have something like that?”

He let out a loud, annoyed groan. “Well do you have anything I can place down in front of my feet to show I don’t get pushed back?”

“Dude, we’re not here to offer materials for you to show off. We’re just here to hand out people’s school IDs and-!” Keith was cut off when Lance swiped the box of ID cards from in front of him, popping the lid and beginning to shuffle through. He growled and tried to reach over the table to swipe it away, but the other male simply danced aside.

“Calm down! I’m just gonna… Ah, there we go!” He announced happily, tossing the box over his shoulder carelessly. Keith scrambled to catch it, but instead he caught it at an angle and the remaining cards toppled all over the tabletop.

“What the _Hell_?” Keith growled as Pidge calmly took the box from him and began picking the cards back up.

“Keith, just let it go. If he wants to make an ass of himself, let’s just not get involved,” She said with a tired sigh. While the day had been relatively smooth for them, the three most recent arrivals were certainly trying to see how fast they could turn that around, she thought.

Lance descended the stairs and motioned for Hunk to follow him. With a quick, apologetic smile to the pair running the check-in booth, he followed the other. “Excuse me, everybody! If you’d all be so kind as to clear a space for me, you’ll all see an awe-inspiring spectacle!” Lance declared happily, walking until he stood in the center of the courtyard. He gestured wildly with his hands until everybody had shifted to standing on the outskirts of the wide plaza, mostly pressed closer to the buildings and such around them. Once they were settled, he grinned and held one hand out towards Hunk. “Okay, buddy, I just need you to shift forms!”

Immediately the other held his hands up and shook his head. “Oh, no, no, no! I don’t know exactly what you’re planning to do but I don’t want any part of it!” He said, shaking his head as he spoke and slowly pacing backwards.

Lance reached out and grabbed one of his hands, pulling him closer, his expression serious. “Hunk, dude… You’re my best friend, my Weapon partner… Please, trust me. Help me,” He said, speaking as if he were on some noble and intrepid quest.

With a small sigh, the other let his shoulders drag. “Just… Don’t go overboard, okay? You need to make sure to not overexert yourself,” His tone was serious, but also warbled a little bit in concern and uncertainty.

“Don’t worry, buddy, I got this,” He said with a small laugh and wave of his other hand. Placated, Hunk closed his eyes and was enveloped in the brief flash of light that always came with a Weapon taking form. When it subsided, Lance easily shifted his grip to hold the decently sized gun in both his hands, making a show of doing a small turn for all the other students to see.

“Oh, so he already had some experience with a gun Weapon… That certainly helps clear up some of the concern,” Allura said quietly.

Once he was done with his little strut, he settled his hands into proper position and shifted to stare up at the sky. He shifted his hands once more before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He was still new to this whole soul-wavelength-channeling thing, but he kept hearing that he was doing exceptionally well at it. He could do about six shots in quick succession before needing to take a short reprieve to recollect himself. The Meister that had scouted him had explained how it took rookies from long-standing Meisters months of serious training to accomplish what he had in a mere few weeks, leaving his scouter rather impressed. And impressing was something he really had to do if he wanted to convince the pretty young lady Weapon to agree to let him wield her as well.

So, he figured that if he channeled it all into one big shot, it’d just mean he’d need to take a slightly longer rest.

Keith’s brow furrowed slightly as they watched the slow build of Lance’s silvery-blue soul energy at the muzzle of the gun. He shifted to sit more upright and stole a glance over at Pidge, finding a look of bewilderment on her features. “That’s a whole lot of energy he’s directing into that shot,” She mumbled, shifting herself.

“It’s excessive is what it is. He’s trying to show off and it’s gonna end up badly for him,” Keith sighed, pushing himself up and starting to turn towards the double doors to the auditorium. He figured he’d go get Lord Death or Professor Ford, since the kid was probably going to end up leaving himself paralyzed with his efforts. A strange sensation lurched in his stomach, though, that he vaguely recognized from when he’d been following Shiro through his Weapon scouting.

He whipped around to find the shimmering light at the end of the gun had grown in size to being just shy of a baseball. Lance’s eyes were cracked open and, even from this distance, Keith could see the fear in his gaze. He put too much into it and he didn’t know how to dilute it. His knees were bowed just a bit, bent under the weight of what he’d done in his eager peacocking. Another glance up, higher this time, and his eyes caught onto the shimmer of something high up into the sky.

The anti-madness shield Lord Death put up around the school. He was sure that Lance wouldn’t be able to do any serious damage to it, but it was still enough energy that it would alert Lord Death.

“Pidge!” He called, shifting to dart over.

Having already picked up on what he had noticed, she was already around the table and heading for him. She held her hand to him and, the second their palms brushed, she was changing form. “We have to change his trajectory!”

“But what can we target instead?” Keith huffed as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking around frantically. There were other students circled around anywhere they could have directed the blast to. Suddenly, his eyes caught onto a small grove of trees that lead out towards the track and field. He motioned his other hand at the students over there, cutting past. “Move out of the way, everyone!” He shouted before turned and lashing out with the chain of Pidge’s blade. Thankfully, it curled and twisted around Hunk in the spot between Lance’s hands, getting a good enough grip that he was sure one hard tug was all it would take.

He stole a quick glance over his shoulder and saw the students scattering rapidly. He dug his heels into the ground and, once he was sure the way was clear, yanked with all his might and swerved down on to his knees.

Lance’s attempts to keep it under control finally gaze out, a long blast of pure soul energy rushing past Keith and slamming right into the tree. It lasted a full minute before it finally stopped, Keith letting himself fall to the ground and look over. What had once been a full, leafy tree was reduced to nothing but what seemed to be a burnt toothpick. “ _What_ is going on out here?” Lord Death called, his tone strict as he descended the stairs.

“We better not get blamed for this because _he’s_ knocked out,” Pidge mumbled as she shifted forms, glaring at the sprawled out form. Hunk had also changed back, hands hovering over his Meister’s form in frantic, unsure twitches. Surprisingly enough, Allura had darted down and was kneeling beside him, pressing one of her hands against the haughty man’s neck.

“He’s breathing just fine. I’m sure he’s just overexerted himself,” She said reassuringly to Hunk.

“I told him _not_ to do that! That is the _exact thing_ I told him _not_ to do! And then what does he do? He does it!” Hunk blabbered frantically, his tone a high strung mix of anxious and frustrated.

“Hunk Garrett, correct?” Lord Death asked as he reached them, a small scowl on his features. Hunk flinched and looked up, offering a timid nod. “What is this nonsense? You and your partner, firing shots out here, where all your classmates have congregated? Someone could have been _seriously hurt_!” He snapped.

“This is my fault, Lord Death!” Allura suddenly proclaimed, standing up and bowing her head to him. He seemed surprised by this, blinking twice before the strict glare from before returned. “I… I was looking for a partner, and these two were showing their capability to me… The Meister, Lance, is willing to dual-wield, but I-!”

“I am well aware of your specifications, Allura,” He said, just a smidge calmer, “and I am also aware of your upbringing. You yourself should have known better than to allow Lance to try showing his potential to you like this. If it was a matter of testing his merits to assure he’d be a decent Meister to you, you should have reached out to Coran, Professor Ford and I to have an assessment test conducted. For now, I am suspending any decision until a test can be conducted within the proper parameters and in a test-approved environment. Do I make myself clear?”

She winced at his words but nodded. “Y-Yes, Lord Death,”

He nodded before looking towards Hunk and Lance’s prone form. “Will you be able to take him to the infirmary?”

“C-Can I pick him up? I think he hit his head when he fell! Head wounds are, like, super dangerous, right? It won’t, like, cause him any brain damage or anything?” Hunk asked uneasily.

Lord Death’s expression softened a bit and he shook his head. “No, Hunk, it won’t. Take him to the infirmary and, so long as Nurse Dresden signs off on it, come back for the orientation. At least one of you will need to know where your dorm is located,” He explained. He then glanced over at Keith and Pidge. “As for you two… Thank you for diverting the shot away from the shield and the other students. Now, come along and start leading the others inside. Orientation is about to start.”

Keith and Pidge nodded, scrambling back to their feet. Pidge paused to offer the two crestfallen Weapons a small thumbs-up of reassurance. Allura blinked and offered one of her own before turning to Hunk, who was carefully scooping Lance off the pavement and carrying him under one arm. Allura shifted and ducked under the other arm, offering Hunk a small smile at the confused look he gave her. “This happened because of his attempts to impress me. The least I can do is help you get him to the infirmary,” She explained.

Hunk blinked then smiled gently back. “Thanks,” He said softly, feeling just the slightest bit better as they started on their way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the first day of class, some friendships are started to spark while animosities grow between others. Paired with all of that is a serious lecture with a message that some may struggle with more than others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is much shorter than I would have liked, especially with how long it took me to complete. It's, admittedly, a bit of exposition dump about some of the key elements that will be needed, but also a little bit of character establishing, too.

“Pidge, come on! We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry it up!” He shouted from the entryway of their dorm, shoving his shoes on. Leaving them by the door was an old habit he’d picked up from his months tailing along with Shiro, who followed the habit as if it was second nature to him.

“Just a sec!” She called back, her tone filled with irritation.

He stole another glance at the clock and groaned. They were going to be late if she didn’t hurry it up! “This is why I told you to get up fifteen minutes ago!”

“I couldn’t find my laptop cable; sue me,” She huffed as she darted over, shrugging her backpack on while she tried to toe her sneakers on.

“Why do you need your computer?” He asked, opening the door, then paused to look at her over his shoulder. “Wait, are computer even _allowed_ in the classroom?”

“For note-taking purposes, yes,” She said, managing to shove one of her shoes on. With her hands free, she easily tugged the other on and shoved him towards the threshold. “Now come on! Do you really want to be late for our first day?”

He refused to answer that, because it was too early in his opinion for them to be bickering, and instead started out. With the first step outside, he could already see the other students in the same dorm building as them starting to trickle out and make their way towards the campus proper. The dorms were tucked into a small neighborhood just behind the academy itself, giving them a lovely view of the building’s silhouette. The walk from the dorms to the school would only be about fifteen or twenty minutes, but the trick was that they’d still need to locate their proper classrooms.

Though, admittedly, he and Pidge had a leg up in regards to that; they’d had to tour the academy during their “volunteer work” leading up to the term start.

“We’re in Crescent Moon class, right?” He asked as they descended the stairs and fell in with the growing sea of students.

She started to hum in response before perking up, hearing someone call out from behind them. She looked back over her shoulder to see the trio from the orientation debacle just a few steps behind them, the Weapon boy waving at them. “Oh, hey, Keith,” She said, reaching out to grab his sleeve to get his attention, “check it out.”

“Oh no, not _these_ three again,” He grumbled quietly, not even bothering to hide his scowl upon seeing them.

Pidge rolled her eyes at him a bit and stayed in place, keeping her grip on the sleeve of his jacket so he couldn’t wander away. “Hey, you guys. Allura and Hunk, right?” She asked, pointing at the two Weapons.

Hunk beamed at her and nodded. “You got it! Sorry to hold you up, but I really wanted to apologize for what happened the other day. We really should have known better than to go flexing like that, right, Lance?” He asked, reaching over and tugging their Meister closer with an arm over his shoulders.

Lance was scowling himself, blue eyes pinned on Keith. This seemed to attract Keith’s attention and ire, by how he glowered and quirked an eyebrow in response. “What?”

“I just want you to know it was really petty of you to get involved like you did,” Lance huffed.

Hunk groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dude, come on, we _talked_ about _this_ ,” He whined out quietly. Allura herself seemed a bit unamused with her Meister’s words but did nothing more than shake her head.

“Excuse me?” Keith asked, a small laugh puffing out at the sheer lunacy of the other’s words.

“Look, I know how it can be for guys like _you_ ,” Lance said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “when dealing with guys like _me_. I’m a package deal and it can be kinda intimidating. But, like, in the future? Maybe don’t go jumping in to try and steal the spotlight? I’m just sayin’. Kinda made you look like a little needy for attention.”

“Well, maybe next time you decide to go peacocking around campus, I won’t _have_ to step in. If you can actually figure out how to properly manipulate and control your soul wavelength, that is,” He retorted.

The other visibly tensed and glared at him. “I can control my soul wavelength _just_ fine, buddy,”

“Sure didn’t seem that way, what with how scared you got once that bullet got as big as it did and how you passed out right after wards,”

“I wasn’t scared!”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” He scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking at Pidge expectantly. “Can we get going now?”

She nodded a bit before glance back over at Allura. “I almost forgot; I know you’re in Crescent Moon class, but are Hunk and Lance?”

“Yeah, we are. Do you two happen to know where the classroom is, actually? We kinda missed the touring portion of the orientation so we were kinda… Well, we weren’t exactly sure _what_ we were gonna do, but we were gonna try and find it on our own,” Hunk explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Pidge smiled and nodded. “Yeah, just stick with us,” She said calmly. Keith rubbed his face with one hand and grumbled something under his breath but she decided to simply ignore him.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Hunk asked with a grateful laugh.

Allura giggled and nodded. “Yes, you are quite considerate… Oh, mercy! We never even introduced ourselves to one another properly, did we?”

The smaller girl blinked then nodded. “Oh, I suppose we didn’t. I mean, we know your names, but you don’t know ours,” She said, indicating herself and the already stepping away Keith. She rolled her eyes at his retreating form and indicated with a tilt of her head that they follow her. “I’m Pidge Gunderson, and that grump over there is my Meister, Keith Kogane.”

Lance perked up at that, shifting to pad along with Pidge. He slid up to walk on her right side, while Allura and Hunk walked beside one another on her left. “Wait, you said _that_ guy is Keith Kogane?” He asked, jerking his thumb at the other.

“Uh, yeah. Why? Do you know him or something?” She asked with a raised brow.

“Well, kind of. A lot of people around campus have been talking about him,” Hunk joined in, holding one hand up in the air and waving it from side to side. Much to Pidge’s delight, Allura seemed to be just as bemused as she. “People are saying that he’s kind of an oddity. I mean, it’s really rare nowadays to encounter a human with soul wavelength control that grants them the ability to operate as a Meister without having a family lineage of it.”

“Wait, he has _no_ family history of being a Meister?” Allura asked in disbelief. In Altea, every Meister she had ever encountered – regardless of social standing – had at least one or two prior generations of other Meisters prior to themselves.

“Well, no one knows for sure, but it sounds like if there were any Meisters in his family tree, it traces back by a whole mess of branches. Like, so many back that the bloodline being diluted enough that losing the skill would be feasible,” He said with a small hum. He then narrowed his eyes a bit and cupped his chin with one hand. “However, that then raises the question of how many generations would have to pass before that happens? Because, I mean, a skill like this clearly isn’t _solely_ honed by training and effort. If it was, there’d be _way_ more Meisters than there are now, so there have to be other elements that factor into something like this.”

Lance scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Oh, _please_. The dude just lucked out; there’s nothing else to it. We’ll see how long this little flash in the pan lasts once we get into the _really hard stuff_ we’re going to be doing,” He scoffed.

“Jealous that we had to save your sorry tail the other day?” Pidge goaded, trying to keep the frustration from her tone. It was irksome, feeling like the other students knew more about the guy she was sharing a living space with than she did.

Blue eyes fixed on her, unamused by the jab, before staring at Keith’s back as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “No, I’m saying it because the dude is absolute shit at working with other people. Like, they say he’s got great form and technique, but a lot of other kids said they expected him to be a Weapon-less Meister. He doesn’t play well with others, is all I’m saying,”

“What kind of rumors have you heard?”

“He’s got a temper, he tends to get violent with people, he’s never done well with getting along with his peers… They say that he’s well-behaved for Death Scythe Shirogane, but that’s about it,”

“So he doesn’t get along with others, but he’s been sent to a school where his success is all dependent upon getting along with others?” Hunk asked skeptically.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Lance scoffed.

“That sounds rather… Concerning,” Allura said quietly.

“They say the dude is a time bomb waiting to go off,”

The conversation about Keith’s skills, scope and ability continued on as they walked, but Pidge barely paid the three any mind. Instead her gaze was fixed squarely on his back, trying to force down the envy and disappointment she could feel starting to creep along inside her. This was the kind of information that would be beneficial to her to know; after all, if he didn’t have a family history of Meisters, he might need extra time to learn new skills. She had the knowledge to help him out in regards to that stuff, and was more than willing to try and help him if the course load was a bit challenging, but she wished she was hearing these little bits of information from him herself. She wondered briefly if there would come a time when he’d be interested in actually talking and getting on the same page as Meister and Weapon, feeling completely disheartened in strangers knowing more about her partner than she did. Hell, the night before she’d tried to suggest they do a chore and meal system, so that they’d eat at the same time and take turns and what-not. She figured it’d be a good way for them to bond a little, having meals together and sharing the housework. Keith had said that as long as they cleaned up after themselves they wouldn’t have any need for what she was suggesting.

It hurt a bit, to be dismissed by yet another person in her life. She didn’t like feeling like she was just a tool for him to use when it was of benefit to him. From what her parents and brother had always told her, the bond between a Meister and Weapon was something much more than that. It was something that couldn’t be easily severed or cast away, because of how much time and care both parties had to put in to helping it blossom. She had loved the idea of having a deep, meaningful friendship with someone like that, but it seemed her partner didn’t see it that way.

She then shook the thought away and focused on their surroundings as they actually entered the campus proper, the looming over-sized candles hanging just above them and casting long shadows in the morning light. The DWMA campus had always been a charming place, in her opinion.

Pidge guiding them along with another subsection of the students once they entered the first actual building, the cluster heading for the staircase. “So have you gotten everything figured out with your partnership?” She asked, glancing at the three of them.

The other woman flushed and averted her eyes, reaching up to lightly twist a long strand of silver hair along one finger. “Well, about that… For now, Lance and I are not officially seen as partners by the school. We have an assessment exam at the end of this week, on Friday after classes, to see how well we can work together,”

“They really couldn’t do it any sooner than Friday?” Pidge asked in disbelief, the crowd petering out on the second floor but there small group, as well as a few others, continuing on.

“It’s the soonest they can have it set up, what with classes starting and all that jazz,” Lance said with a small huff. He then paused and looked around. “We’re really all the way up on the third floor?”

“Yeah. Since Crescent Moon class is composed of Weapons that are deemed to be of a higher proficiency than most,” She said as she turned from the stairs and led them down the corridor on the left, “we need to be kept close to the upper levels of the school where the training grounds are located. Once we’ve gotten a good grasp of theory and terminology, we’ll spend a lot more time actually training than the classes on the lower levels.”

“The classes are also divided up based upon proficiency of the Meister to proper distribute their soul wavelength, correct?”

“Yeah. There are way more classes, with smaller class sizes, specifically so that they can make sure they all get specialized help for whatever aspects their struggling with,”

“Better than a lot of the public schools I attended before I transformed for the first time,”

“You can say that again,” Pidge laughed as they headed in, examining the long rows of bar-style tables with cushioned stools for the students to sit at. She spotted Keith chatting with Shiro, who was poised at the front of the class, leaning against the desk. His expression was significantly brighter, a small smile turned up on his lips, and she turned to find a seat without a second glance. She settled into one of rafters towards the middle, where she’d have a decent view of the entire classroom. “If you guys want to, you can sit near us. Might help if we have questions or anything.”

“On it,” Lance huffed, settling into the seat behind and one over from Pidge, assuming that was where Keith would settle in, and getting himself comfortable. He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head and propping his feet up on the desk.

Pidge settled in calmly, listening to the quiet chatter around them, setting her computer up and uploading a new document to start taking notes. She’d already gone through and drafted out a list of terminology they’d need to be familiar, including their definitions on the page. She had also created a small section just underneath all the definitions where she could include additional notes of interest brought up by Professor Rung.

After that, she turned to look over at the three again as they set their own things up. Or, rather, Hunk and Allura did. Lance seemed much more content to be leaned back as if he were relaxing back home. “So I take it you three got stuff figured out with your partnership, then?”

Allura perked up and flushed a bit. “W-Well, actually… Lance and I aren’t considered partners _just_ yet,” She admitted.

“Wait, seriously?” She asked in surprise, looking between the sheepish young Weapon and the two males beside her.

Hunk hummed and nodded, calmly flipping his notebook to a clean page. “Since she’s a high-ranking classification, they need a full observation to be done, with Lord Death himself observing,”

“Not that there’s anything to worry about. We’ll rock out that observed assessment and then we’ll be on Trio Street,” Lance mused, smug grin in place and shifting one hand, cutting it through the air in a straight line.

Allura paused to tuck one strand of long, silver hair behind her ear. “Well, I’m not sure it will be as simple as you’re suggesting, but I do hope things go well for us. Meisters who are specifically skilled with gun Weapons like myself are rather difficult to find,”

“Though then it becomes a question of what happens with our dorm situation,” Hunk pointed out. “I mean, since they keep stressing how important developing our bonds is, living together is kind of the expectation. But since we aren’t official yet, you’ve had your own residence while Lance and I have been sharing our dorm. So, like, if the assessment goes well and we get approved to be a trio, what happens then? Do we, like, get moved into a bigger dorm room with three bedrooms? Or would Lance and me just have to share a room so you have your own room?”

“I’m… Huh, I’m not sure. I mean, logic dictates that we’d just be given a larger dorm, but do they have larger units? I mean, for the longest time, Meister and Weapon teams only consisted of two individuals,”

“But Lord Death was also part of a three-person team, so it’d make sense he’d take something like that into consideration. Plus, there are teams that are larger than we’ll be,” Lance pointed out, shifting to sit upright again finally.

Pidge hummed lightly. “I believe they do have dorms that are designed for larger teams, but then you’ll also need to consider how many other multi-partner teams there are on campus,” She said.

“Huh. You know a lot about the going-ons on campus, huh?” Hunk asked. Pidge blinked then shrugged a bit, turning back around after a quick glance at the clock on her screen showed class would be starting soon.

Just as the bell chimed again, Keith flopped into the spot beside her. “You could have called me over, you know,” He said as he pulled out a binder and pencil.

“You seemed happier talking with Shiro. I didn’t want to bother you,” She said dismissively.

He stared at her for a moment before turning his attention to the front of the classroom. “Alright, everybody! I know that the first day can be exciting, but we need to focus. I promise thing will be more interesting once we get started but first I need to make sure you’ll all here,” Unlike some of their peers, whom all gawked in awe at the living legend before them, Keith had encountered Professor Rung a handful of times during the weeks before school started, during his assessments and time shadowing Shiro. They breezed through attendance easily enough, though there were a few absences. Professor Rung made a few notes about that on the sheet itself, shaking his head as he mumbled something to Shiro, then turned to face the class again. He stood with his shoulders squared, eying up the class with a small grin, delight shining in his dark eyes. “Well, before we get too far into things, I want to give a brief introduction to myself and my associate here.” He said, gesturing to Shiro behind him.

Silence fell over the class, excitedly awaiting his explanation.

“I’m Kilik Rung, a three-star Utility and Pot Meister and professor here at the academy. Please refer to me as Professor Rung, as a show of respect. I’ve been around the block here myself, so I’ve certainly earned it,” He said, keeping his tone light. He then indicated Shiro again with a nod of his head. “This is Takashi Shirogane, the most recently selected Death Scythe to be assigned to Lord Death himself; there is the expectation that you will respect the weight of his title and address him as such. He’ll be shadowing and helping me to assess your academic progress. He falls under the Demon Sword Weapon classification, right, Shiro?”

“That is correct, Professor Rung,” He said with a nod.

Professor Rung snorted a bit. “You’re not a student anymore, Shiro; you can just address me as Kilik,” He said playfully. He then turned back to class and clapped his hands together. “So, how many of you understood any of that terminology I threw out there for you?”

Silence reigned for a solid minute before Pidge raised her hand excitedly.

This got a laugh out of him. “Glad to see someone decided to do some reading ahead of time! Go ahead, Pidge; which terms did you recognize and how are they defined?”

“I recognized all the terms used, actually,”

Professor Rung hummed and smiled, nodding his head at her. “I’m impressed. Not many Weapons do the Meister portion of the reading, too,” He said, more to himself than the rest of the class. “For now, why don’t you just tell me what Shiro’s classification means?”

“Demon Sword Weapons are any demon weapon that could be classified as being a sword-like weapon; given that Death Scythe Shirogane is a naginata - if I recall correctly - he would fall under this classification and allows for him to be better partnered with Meisters who have experience with similar Weapons,” She explained. She then paused and tilted her head a bit. “However, there are other Meister classifications that would be able to wield him with success, such as Genius Meister types or even Great Sword Meister types. Maybe even Knife Meister types, depending on what kind of blades they’re used to working with.”

“My, you’re a knowledgeable one, aren’t you?” He asked. He then quickly waved one hand when she shirked back shyly. “That’s not a bad thing, really! It’s better than you know as much as possible before you actually start fighting back against Kishin!” He then moved his eyes to glance around the classroom. “Anyone want to tell me what, exactly, a Kishin is?”

“It’s a soul that had become corrupted by insanity,” Allura chimed.

“Well, it’s more than just that. Like, the soul has to have a certain type of wavelength and has to suffer a certain type of trauma. Normally it occurs from a Demon Weapon being forced to feed upon the souls of innocent, uncorrupted individuals,” Hunk clarified.

“Very good, Allura and Hunk. You’re right on the money. Kishin souls have to be harvested to prevent them from harming more innocent people; them being harvested by a pure Weapon is a form of purification and passing of their power. The powers are, however, diluted due to the purification process, which is why 99 Kishin souls are needed in order to become an official Death Scythe level Weapon,” He agreed, perking up when he spotted a hand going up in the back. “Clyde Ross, right?”

“Yes. Thank you, Professor,” The young man said happily, going so far as to stand up when he spot. Keith recognized the voice and turned, a bit surprised to see it was the puny little Weapon from the banquet. With how reserved and small the guy was, he’d figured they’d be in one of the lower ranking classes. “I was just curious… It takes 99 Kishin souls and one witch soul to be made a full Death Scythe, correct? But why is the witch soul necessary?”

“That’s an excellent question, Clyde. The soul of witch, in prior times, was necessary because witches were most commonly the ones creating and manipulating the Kishin, but also because the power of the witch’s soul worked as an adhesive of sorts, melding the previously gathered power together into one final boost,” He said.

Shiro hummed and stepped forward a bit. “I can attest that there is a significant increase in the Weapon upon gathering all the souls together; you’ll feel the change with each soul you gather, but once you’ve obtained all the necessarily elements, it feels drastically different,”

“Well, assuming that you all get the chance to reach the point of being full-fledged Death Scythes. Many years ago, Lord Death reached an agreement of peace with the witches upon the sealing away of Kishin Asura, the original Kishin. But, we aren’t going to get too much into that today. Today we’re just going to be going over the basics to help get you all familiar with it,” Professor Rung explained, leaning back to rest against the desk in the center of the room.

“So are the Galra witches or not?” Another student from the front of the class suddenly chimed in, flailing one arm in the air as they spoke.

Professor Rung frowned a bit. “The Galra are a subsection of witches who believed that the treaty was in poor taste and would only prevent witches from reaching their full potential. We know very little about them other than their intention to continue spreading madness with the implementation of Black Blood and other means, though or knowledge is limited. Anyway, why don’t we get back on the actual topics we’re covering today? Anyone know what soul resonance is?” He asked, then perked up when Keith raised his hand. “Go ahead, Keith.”

“Soul resonance is the culmination of the physical skill and soul energy implementation of the Meister through the Weapon,” He said evenly.

 “You’re close,” Shiro chuckled, “but soul resonance is about more than just physical prowess and soul energy.”

Professor Rung seemed a bit displeased by the answer, though. “Don’t sugar coat it, Shiro. Keith, soul resonance isn’t about just the Meister or just the Weapon; it’s a culmination of both their talents, as well as how well they can synch up their soul wavelengths. What you’re talking about is realistically only a small sum of what goes into a team having a successful soul resonance,” He said, pinning Shiro with a chiding look before turning it on Keith. He scowled at the older man’s words but didn’t say anything. He tried to push aside the bitter feeling swelling in his belly as some other students around them started quietly muttering to one another. “There is a reason that we insist that you partner up with someone who you can reasonably match soul wavelengths with; if there isn’t a baseline compatibility, there’s no chance for you to ascend to the next level. After all, you can’t unlock the next level of you and your partners’ strength in combat if you aren’t able to get along off the battlefield. In regards to actual practice, soul resonance is something that none of you will be looking into trying until you get at least 35 Kishin souls collected, but you’ll be working on cultivating the bonds between yourself and your partner, or partners, depending on your circumstances, throughout your time here.”

Keith heard a small snort behind him. “Not surprised _you_ don’t get what being a team is all about, considering what everyone else is saying about you,” Lance mumbled, sounding smugly satisfied.

“If you’ve got something to say, then say it to my face,” Keith growled, turning around to glare at the other Meister.

“I know you heard me, dude. Not gonna repeat myself,” Lance scoffed lightly.

The quiet grumbling around them stirred back up, seeming to get worse with the two Meisters’ exchange. He knew the other students talked about him a lot, especially after the confrontation between he and Pidge and that Thurston girl and her partner at the big meet-up. He wasn’t going to go around claiming that he was some kind of almighty force to be reckoned with, though, and he found the gossip extremely obnoxious. He didn’t really care what opinion his peers held of him. He didn’t need to prove himself to them. He didn’t need to prove himself to anyone.

He shifted to sit forward again, starting to jot down some notes and deciding that he would talk with Professor Rung after classes for the day about being called out.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keith sent Pidge back to their dorm after classes, insisting that he’d be following not long after her. She’d seemed a bit miffed about it, but had disappeared down the large stairs with Lance, Allura and Hunk without a word. Then again, she hadn’t been particularly communicative with him since they left their apartment that morning and encountered the trio heading to class. Even at lunch she’d spent the entire time chatting with Lance about old school video games and then some kind of technobabble between her and Hunk. It was strange to see what other interests she had, but a part of him goaded him that it was his own fault. He was the one putting distance between them.

He ended up having to search around campus a bit before finding Professor Rung in the teacher’s lounge, shifting through some documents at a small table in the room. “Professor Rung, do you have a moment?” He asked, poking his head in.

Professor Rung perked up then smiled and nodded, setting the forms down and indicating a vacant chair across the table from himself. “Absolutely. What’s on your mind, Keith?”

“I wanted to talk about what you said to me in class today. About soul resonance,” He said, carefully slipping into the seat and dropping his bag beside his seat.

“What about it?”

“Uh, maybe the fact you felt the need to lecture me in front of the entire class? Treating me like a child?” He prompted.

“Maybe because that’s how you were behaving?” Professor Rung hummed, leaning back in his seat and cocking his head a bit. Keith stared at him before glaring. Before he could say something, though, the other held one hand up so he could continue himself. “The fact of the matter is, you’re putting distance between yourself and your partner based upon roles, and that’s dangerous. If you don’t see your partnership for what it is – as a _whole_ – then you’ll never succeed.”

He huffed a bit. “I’ve already fought a few training matches using Shiro before. I don’t get why I can’t be working with him,”

“Because Shiro is already a Death Scythe,” He said with a tired sigh, “but now I know where you’re getting this arrogance from.”

“I’m _not_ arrogant,”

“What else should putting oneself above their peers be considered?”

“It’s not being arrogant because it’s based in _fact_. I have wielded a Death Scythe and none of them – as far as _I’m_ aware, anyway – have,”

“Want me to tell you a little secret about Death Scythes? Nine times out of ten, a Death Scythe can more easily adapt their soul wavelength to match with an under-skilled Meister; especially in emergency situations. Much like the circumstances that you met Shiro under. Much like the circumstances that you first wielded your current partner under, from what I’ve been told,” The older male pinned him with a look, slowly lifting an eyebrow at him.

“I was able to wield him in situations other than that one! I was following him almost all of summer so he could help me get familiar with what being a Meister meant!”

“And clearly he didn’t do the best job he could have. Shiro sees great potential within you – which I agree with him on – but he shouldn’t be coddling you. By making wielding him as easy as he has for you, he’s set an unrealistic expectation for you about your own skills. You’ve certainly got impressive wavelength control and manipulation for someone without a family history of it, but you’re at a disadvantage to the other Meisters in your class,” Professor Rung glanced aside for a moment, staring out the window at where the laughing sun could be seen disappearing. His mind seemed to be elsewhere for a moment before he turned his gaze back on Keith. “Compared to Meisters like Lance and Clary and Matthew, you don’t have as much to fall back on. They all come from families that have turned out some of the most skilled Meisters the academy has ever seen, so the minute they began to have any semblance of control over the soul wavelengths, they had family ready to sit them down and give them a great handle on the basics. What they have had years to learn to control on their own, you’ve been forced to learn in only a few short weeks, and then you introduce the element of a Weapon partner to consider as well. Even still, you’ve been keeping up, which is a good sign. However, any self-respecting Weapon isn’t going to keep working with a Meister who only sees them as a tool to their personal success. That’s not what a partnership is about in the slightest.”

“Whatever,” Keith growled, standing up and grabbing his bag. He tore off towards the door, fuming at feeling as if he’s only gotten talked down to again.

“Just… Think about what I’ve said, okay? You’re a smart guy; I’m sure you’ll figure everything out with a little time and space to think,” Professor Rung commented. He was a bit surprised when the young student paused in the doorway for a moment before he stormed off again. He shook his head a bit, making a mental note to talk with Shiro about how he intended to approach Keith going forward. He picked the papers he’d been looking over before back up, scowling at the two young faces staring up at him.

He wasn’t looking forward to calling Dean Thurston to inform him that his daughter, Clary, and her Weapon partner hadn’t been seen anywhere in Death City in days.

Keith stormed through the school, taking the stairs two at a time. Who was Professor Rung to talk down to him, just because he wasn’t born of some noble Meister family? He knew he was stronger than a good portion of his peers, that he could deal more damage without a Weapon than they could. He didn’t need to be handled with kid gloves! He was more than ready to face up against whatever threats a Death Scythe Meister was typically able to handle!

“Um, excuse me? Keith Kogane, yeah?” A small voice asked, startling him out of his thoughts.

He paused mid-step and turned, settling one hand on the guard rail of the staircase, to see the same Weapon he and Pidge had stood up for standing at the top of the staircase. Beside him stood a boy just a bit taller than him, a wide and welcoming grin on his face. “Oh, hey. You’re… Clyde, right?” He asked, hoping he was remembering their class correctly.

Clyde’s face split out in a huge grin and he nodded, beginning to head down the stairs as well. “Wow, you remembered my name! Thanks!” He said happily, the other young man just a few steps behind him.

“I take it this is your Meister?” He asked, glancing at the other.

The other nodded before offering his hand. “Darin Soto. It’s nice to meet the guy who defended my Weapon partner’s honor,” He said, a playful note to his tone.

Clyde flushed a bit at that. “Geez, way to be embarrassing!”

“Am I wrong?” Darin asked, reaching over to lightly poke his partner’s puffed out cheek.

“Not necessarily! But when you say it like that, you make it seem like I’d a total wuss!”

“You’re stronger than you’re giving yourself credit for. Talking to someone like Clary, asking her to be your Weapon… That takes a lot of courage,” Keith said evenly.

They both stared for a moment before Clyde looked away sheepishly. “You’re just saying that to save my pride,” He said, scratching his cheek lightly. There was still a smile on his face, though.

Keith found a small smile of his own turning up on his lips. “I’m not a big fan of just saying whatever will make someone feel all warm and fuzzy, just so you know,”

Darin chuckled. “You’ll have to forgive Clyde; we’re working on the self-confidence thing as we go. He’s doing a lot better already, though! I complimented the stew he made for dinner last night and he only turned cherry red instead of tomato red!” He laughed.

“You’re impossible, you know that?” Clyde whined, giving his partner’s shoulder an affectionate shove. Darin merely tottered back a bit and laughed again. The jesting between them was clearly good-natured, and Keith was a bit stunned. Was it truly possible for a Weapon and Meister to become so close in such a short span of time? “Anyway, I wanted to thank you properly for helping me out that day. It was really great of you and your partner.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was the right thing to do,” He said, waving one hand as he spoke.

Something about his answer gave Clyde pause before he chuckled lightly. “I don’t think everyone else would agree, since no one else intervened. But I appreciate your reasoning. It’s kind of refreshing, you know?” He mused.

Keith cocked his head and quirked an eyebrow. He hadn’t been expecting an almost sagely response to the simple fact that his speaking out was just the right approach.

“Anyway, since we’re in class, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. Sometime you and your partner will have to come over for dinner, as a show of my gratitude,” Cylde said.

“Speaking of which,” Darin sang, carefully stepping around his partner and making his way down the stairs, “what were you planning for dinner tonight? It’s your turn to cook, after all.”

“I was thinking maybe something simple, like sandwiches and soup, actually,”

“ _What_? But we just had our first real day of class! All the hard work we did today calls for something _heartier_ than _that_!”

“Ah, yes, because taking notes is just _so_ tiring,”

“Um, _excuse me_ , but I’ll have you know…”

Their playful bickering disappeared down the steps, becoming too distant and muffle for him to decipher from his perch. He stared after them for a moment, frowning a bit as his mind called up Pidge’s inquiries about how they could split up meals and cleaning. He’d been dismissive of her suggestion, simply because he figured it’d make more sense that they just be responsible for cleaning up after themselves. If they only had to worry about what they themselves created there was less likelihood for them to argue about who did what, right?

It had been way too long since he’d had to share a living space with someone else, admittedly.

Was this the kind of stuff Professor Rung was talking about? These mundane, trivial tasks? Would splitting the work load really help his bond with Pidge, improve their abilities on the battlefield once they were finally cleared to start gathering Kishin souls? He mulled it over as he made his way off campus and back to the nearby dorms.

He was still a little confused as he stepped inside, the smell of garlic filling his nose.

He lifted his head to look around as he toed off his boots. Pidge was settled at the small coffee table, laptop set up, a bowl and small paper plate with two pieces of garlic bread set up beside her. She was looking over something on her computer screen. In the background, the television was on and switched over to the science channel, playing some rerun of some experiment show. She didn’t move to acknowledge him at all.

He took a deep breath before saying a quiet “Hey,” as he set his bag down.

She shifted her head up a bit and made a small noise of acknowledgement. “I made myself some penne. There’s still a little bit left, if you want,”

“Oh, thanks,” He said, carefully walking around her and making his way to the kitchen. As he pulled out a bowl for himself, he heard the quiet click of her laptop followed by the soft clatter of dishware connecting. A quick glance over in the pot revealed more than just a little left, as well as two more pieces of garlic bread on the cookie sheet they’d been prepared on. He felt a small wave of guilt hit him as he prepared his own helping.

Pidge was clearly trying to establish a proper bond between them. Why else would she intentionally make enough food for both of them? Or try to set them up on a working schedule so they shared equal responsibility of the housework? Meanwhile, he brushed all her suggestions aside as if she weren’t worth his time. Hell, he had implied as much to Professor Rung!

He walked over and settled in beside her, spearing a piece of the noodle and getting a good chunk of meat from the sauce on the fork as well. “So… What was it you were suggesting about the chore chart?” He asked before plopping the bite in his mouth.

Her head snapped to face him lightning fast, her eyes wide. “Uh… I thought you said that was a pointless idea?”

“Well, the more I thought about it, it would make more sense when it comes to the general chores. You know, like, vacuuming and stuff,” He said, keeping his own eyes glued on the screen. He didn’t need her seeing just how embarrassed he was at his own previous behavior.

She slowly settled back in, her own eyes fixing back on the television as a 2-liter bottle of soda went flying into the air. “Well, I was going to say we could pick one night a week where we do all the big chores, and take turns with some of the other stuff. Like, one night I cook dinner and you clean the after dinner dishes, but I put the dishes away after they’re done in the dishwasher. Then, the next night, you cook dinner but I’ll do the dishes and you put them away. That way, we’re taking turns with everything and it’s all even,” She explained, spearing a bite from her own bowl and plopping it in her mouth.

“Sounds fair. Anything you aren’t cool with me making tomorrow night? Like, allergies or anything?”

“So long as it doesn’t have actual peanuts in it, I’m fine,” She said with a shrug.

“Got it,” He said before taking another bite of his own food.

They feel into a comfortable silence after that, eating and watching the show together. Once they were done, he carefully gathered their dishes to get that taken care of. “Hey, Keith?” She said as she handed her empty bowl over to him.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks,” She said, offering him a small but genuine smile.

He paused then offered one of his own. “What are partners for?”


End file.
